1. Field
The present disclosure relates to displaying images of articles for sale on a web page, and more particularly to scaling up an image of an article displayed on a sales promotion web page.
2. Introduction
With the development of the Internet, on-line stores have become very popular. These stores allow consumers with Internet access to browse and purchase articles for sale. Consumers typically access these stores through the World Wide Web via web pages viewed through a web browser. Examples of articles that can be purchased on-line include clothes, books, electronic devices, toys, games, downloadable media, travel reservations, and furniture. This is not an exhaustive list. Virtually any article that can be purchased in a traditional store can be bought from an on-line store. After the transaction is complete, the online store ships the purchased item if it is a tangible item. Alternatively, if the purchased article is digital media, the store can transfer the purchased digital content to the customer upon payment via download. Purchased digital content can be downloaded and played on personal computers, portable media players, smart phones, cell phones, televisions, television media players, video game devices and other electronic devices. On-line stores are popular with consumers because they can conveniently shop for a very large variety of articles whenever they are connected to the Internet. Generally, consumers desire an on-line store with a large selection of articles for sale with competitive prices. On-line store designers may benefit from showing a potential customer a large variety of products with smaller images, and then scale-up images of articles in which the customer indicates a particular interest in. An online store can alter the format of the web page to further tailor an article's presentation once a potential customer has indicated an interest in the item.
Traditionally, online stores have provided an enlarged or more detailed view of an item by loading a different web page containing the more detailed image. Unfortunately, downloading a different web page often involves complexities such as the need for the user to manage multiple web pages, a browsing history, pop-ups, or other mechanisms, i.e. the original web page with the smaller image and the different web page with the enlarged image. Moreover, downloading a new web page ordinarily involves a momentary delay that is noticeable to the user during which the new page flashes into view. In some parts of the world where access to the Internet is metered and not unlimited, these extra page refreshes can add up to a significant expense.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and method for scale-up of an image of an article displayed on a sales promotion web page that enlarges the image within the same web page and provides an enhanced user experience.